A Disneyland guest claimed she was permanently injured when an actor dressed as the beloved character “Goofy” fell on her during a trip to the park.
Katrina Griffin was at Disney California Adventure Park with her daughter on April 3, 2022, when the “traumatic” experience occurred, SFGate reported, citing a lawsuit filed with the Orange County Superior Court.
Griffin had reportedly bent over to tie her daughter’s shoe when the Goofy character allegedly “walked directly” causing her to topple onto the “hard cement.”
The lawsuit, filed in late March, claimed the mascot then fell onto Griffin “with all of his body weight.”
Griffin claims she experienced “severe, traumatic, debilitating, and permanent injuries that necessitated significant medical care” after the accident.
Griffin did not give a specific list of injuries she suffered.
The lawsuit named Disneyland, the actor wearing the Goofy suit and the mascot’s “handler” as co-defendants.
Disney Parks employees are assigned to work as “handlers” for the mascots, who ensure all guests have safe interactions with the characters.
The handlers also serve as translators for the costumed workers who can’t speak including Goofy.
Griffin claimed the handler failed to prevent the collision between her and the character, according to SFGate.
Both cast members weren’t identified in the lawsuit, and instead listed as “John Doe 1” and “John Doe 2,” according to KTLA.
The injured guest is seeking a trial by jury to pursue damages related to health care bills and loss of earnings, the outlet said.
She is also seeking damages for negligence, claiming her injuries “will result in some permanent disability.”
A Sept. 4 case management conference has been scheduled.
Florida’s Disney World is facing its own personal injury lawsuit, after a woman claims to have suffered serious injury when she experienced a “painful wedgie” from a waterslide.
Emma McGuinness visited Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon in October 2019 for her 30th birthday where she took the high-speed plunge on Humunga Kowabunga, a near-vertical 214-foot drop.
McGuinness claimed to have gone airborne near the end of her slide down “slammed downward,”
The impacts of the slide caused her swimsuit to “be painfully forced between her legs and for water to be violently forced inside her,” the suit obtained by WKMG claims.
Riders, who don’t use any rafts or tubes, can reach speeds up to 40 miles per hour on the slide.
